Two A-League sides narrowly avoided Cupsets in the opening Matchday of the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup Round of 16.
Wellington Phoenix took until the final moments of regular time to knock out NPL Victoria 3 outfit Nunawading City. At the same time, Sydney FC had a tough battle with NPL NSW giants Sydney United 58, but ended up coming out on top with a 2-0 scoreline.
Nunawading City FC 0 - 1 Wellington Phoenix FC
Nunawading grew into the match as they committed numbers forward, while restricting their A-League opponents to few first-half chances.
Denis Daluri looked particularly dangerous for the hosts, with his willingness to take players on, carrying the ball forward and causing issues for the Phoenix back line.
Wellington gained greater control in the second half, pushing City back, yet the home side remained a sporadic threat.
The Phoenix came close to the opener 81 minutes in when Matt Sheridan unleashed a long-range strike that Nunawading goalkeeper Dennys Martin superbly palmed away.
Deep into stoppage time, Wellington snatched the lead. Carlo Armiento's in-swinging right-sided corner met Hideki Ishige's head, who nodded in to spare the blushes of the A-League side and see them through to the Quarter-Finals.
Sydney United 58 FC 0 - 2 Sydney FC
A goal in either half proved enough for Sydney FC to down a valiant Sydney United 58.
The visitors had most of the ball in the early stages, with United 58 willing to wait and pounce on the break.
This early possession produced a goal around 10 minutes in. Joe Lolley swung in a deep right-sided cross towards Al Hassan Toure at the far post, who buried his header past Vedran Janjetovic for his first Sydney FC goal.
United 58 responded positively to going behind, forcing Sydney FC goalkeeper Gus Hoefsloot into several saves as they pursued a first-half equaliser.
The second half was tense with Sydney FC surviving a United 58 surge before doubling their lead late on. Akol Akon squared the ball from the left for Rhys Youlley, who snuck an effort in at the near post to secure the Sky Blues their place in the Quarter-Finals.
